Hampshire-based songwriter Kate Harding spins pure hindsight into shimmering indie pop rock on her new single, "THE DOPAMINE HIGH AIN'T LOVE". Finding her recording voice at forty after a health scare forced a reset, Harding wastes zero time mincing words. She takes aim directly at the intoxicating, painful trap of emotional manipulation. https://open.spotify.com/album/23thpH06WrBgGoBn2Z3lru?si=SMG5rKQiTp6R0b5WMyk78w The music tricks you beautifully. The melody relies on a bright, fast-paced rhythm...

Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...